Wits & Wagers Goes to Europe!
North Star Games and Days of Wonder Sign Worldwide Licensing Deal
Bethesda, MD – (Sep 8, 2008) - North Star Games, the outspoken makers of designer games, announced today that it has signed a worldwide licensing deal with Days of Wonder for North Star Games’ hit trivia/party game, Wits & Wagers. Days of Wonder will release the game as Gambit 7 in France and Germany this year and to British Commonwealth countries in 2009.
“We are elated that people around the world will finally get to play Wits & Wagers,” said Dominic Crapuchettes, North Star Games’ founder and co-president. “People love the game in America and we cannot wait until everyone else gets to see what the buzz is all about,” Crapuchettes continued.
Wits & Wagers’ ingenious design allows non-trivia buffs to have a chance at winning! This opening up of trivia to the trivia-challenged while also making it a party game has garnered Wits & Wagers 19 awards, the most of any party game in history.
Days of Wonder saw how great the game is and its broad appeal, and decided to make it their first game in their new line of more mainstream, mass-market games. Other companies before them also realized the great crossover appeal of the game. Hidden Path Entertainment turned Wits & Wagers into an Xbox Live Arcade game, and Rebel Entertainment Partners (Judge Judy, Extreme Home Makeover) is developing a TV game show based on Wits & Wagers.
“It means a lot to us that a company of Days of Wonder’s caliber would chose to license Wits & Wagers as their first mainstream game,” stated Satish Pillalamarri, North Star Games’ other co-president. “There endorsement of our product speaks volumes about the quality and appeal of Wits & Wagers and where our company is headed.”
The game is also moving fast in the retail world. As a result of its significant sales in the hobby channels, Target has carried the game nationwide for a year and Borders will carry the game nationwide starting in October, very impressive for a game that has only been out less than three years.
www.NorthStarGames.com
Say Anything - Game Release:
We are releasing our new party game Say Anything at Origins – a month before it hits the stores!
Say Anything is a light-hearted game about what you and your friends think. For instance, "What's the best movie of all time?" or "If I could have a BIG anything, what would it be?" or "What would be the best thing to train a monkey to do?" So dig deep into your heart or just come up with something witty – this is your chance to Say Anything!
Wits & Wagers - Game Show Event Schedule:
North Star Games has 4 great Wits & Wagers team game show events scheduled at Origins this year:
- Thursday - 8:00 PM - 9:15 PM – The Board Room
- Friday - 8:00 PM - 9:15 PM - Hall E (Board Game HQ)
- Saturday - 8:00 PM - 9:15 PM - Hall E (Board Game HQ)
- Sunday - 12:00 PM - 1:15 PM – Hall E (Board Game HQ)
- To learn more about our game shows, visit www.northstargames.com/events/game_conventions.page.
Prize-O-Matic 5000 – Booth #115:
We will be in Booth #115 in the Exhibit Hall.
Stop by our booth to win a spin on the Prize-O-Matic 5000. Prizes include games, t-shirts, coupons, and more!
We will be running demos and selling our 3 games (Wits & Wagers, Say Anything, and Cluzzle). We will offer big discounts to anyone who comes to an event or demos a game in our booth.
We will have copies of Wits & Wagers 2nd Edition, featuring some new and improved rules and updated questions.
So come on & join the party! We hope to see you at Origins.
Party Game of the Year Available at an Xbox Near You!
Microsoft to Release Wits & Wagers for Xbox Live® Arcade Wednesday
Bethesda, MD (May 6, 2008) – Microsoft announced yesterday that it will release Wits & Wagers for the Xbox LIVE® Arcade on Wednesday 7 May. The video game is based upon the original Wits & Wagers board game, which has won more industry awards than any other party game in history. It is wildly popular because it is the first trivia game can you can win without knowing any trivia. Internet fans have been clamoring for the Wits & Wagers video game release for more than a year. It will be the only trivia game available for the Xbox 360™.
“We are really excited about the Xbox LIVE® Arcade version of Wits & Wagers,” said Dominic Crapuchettes, founder of North Star Games. “This video game version will introduce our extremely popular board game to a whole new audience.”
Hidden Path Entertainment (http://www.hiddenpath.com/) seized the opportunity to acquire the worldwide digital rights for Wits & Wagers before the property became too hot. They are now working on plans to bring Wits & Wagers to other gaming platforms including Facebook and cell phones.
“The interest in Wits & Wagers has been astounding,” claimed Satish Pillilamarri, North Star Games co-founder. “The board game has been nationwide at Target for less than a year and already there is a video game version, a European licensing deal, and a possible TV game show.”
What makes Wits & Wagers’ so successful? Wits & Wagers’ innovative design allows people to win without knowing trivia (you can bet on other player’s answers), making it accessible to kids and non-trivia buffs. That is why it has been labeled, “the best trivia game of all time.” by http://www.about.com/ and “the latest in living-room play” by Time magazine. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel awarded it “Game of the Year”.
While the Xbox version of Wits & Wagers is good for a small group (up to 6 online), the board game version is excellent for larger parties, since it can play up to 20 people. And of course, board games have a social interaction element as well, so people who like the XBLA Wits & Wagers will love the board game.
About North Star Games:
Dominic Crapuchettes and Satish Pillalamarri founded North Star Games in 2004. Their goal is to inspire creativity and laughter through games that engage and enrich the mind. They pride themselves on bringing innovation to a stagnant party game market that relies on Hollywood licenses instead of fresh game ideas.
http://www.northstargames.com/